Fat Possum Licenses Hi Records Catalog

by Cortney Harding, N.Y. | February 11, 2009 12:00 EST
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/fat ... 0464.story



Fat Possum Records has licensed the entire Hi Records catalog, including Al Green's 1972 album "Let's Stay Together" and several of his greatest hits compilations, Billboard can reveal.

The catalog also features albums by O.V. Wright, Ace Cannon, and Otis Clay. Fat Possum will have rights in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

"We are planning on reissuing the entire catalog," says Fat Possum president Matthew Johnson. "The greatest hits are already up on iTunes, and we'll be rolling out the rest of the releases soon. This is huge for us."

The first three releases under the Hi/Fat Possum deal, remastered versions of Al Green's "Greatest Hits," "I'm Still in Love With You" and "Let's Stay Together," will be in stores March 31.

Other Hi releases soon to be reissued under the Hi/Fat Possum exclusive license will include additional early '70s Green classics "Gets Next To You," "The Belle Album" and "Livin' for You," as well as albums by Ann Peebles, Syl Johnson and longtime Green collaborator Willie Mitchell.

The Hi Records catalog was previously licensed to EMI.

Has anyone picked these remasters up? I'm curious about how they sound compared to The Right Stuff remasters from 2003/2004 (which still sound pretty good to me).

Thanks!

Bump: next to be released in this series will be Love Ritual: Rare And Previously Unreleased 1968-76 on July 6th. Pre-order link added to the first post.